Avalon, the Pilot: Missing Person

Lockhart stepped out of the plane on his own two feet, took a deep breath and let it out slowly through his smile. He couldn’t help it. He spent the last fifteen years in a wheelchair and was dreading retirement. Now he was healed and free.

Glen scooted past and paused only long enough to comment. “Don’t start depending on those Gaian healing chits. That is a good way to get killed.” Lockhart nodded, but then they saw Lincoln coming to the door as Glen hurried off.

Boston followed Lincoln and lugged the folded-up wheelchair. “I guess this goes back in storage.” She groaned as she lifted it over the lip to the ramp. Then the young woman and the old man walked side by side toward the building until they saw people running toward them. Boston thought to say one more thing before they got swallowed by the crowd.

“I will miss pushing you around in this thing.”

“Me too.” Lockhart responded in all seriousness before he had to stop walking and hug Bobbi. She was crying, and he had to get touched, praised and congratulated for getting his legs back by any number of others as well.

Glen got as far as the door to the main building of the Men in Black before Lincoln grabbed his arm and spouted again. “But My wife has to be out there somewhere.”

Once again Glen tried to reassure the man. “Don’t worry. Up until now there were a few other things pressing, like finding you for instance. But Alexis is now my top priority. Oh no.” He said that last because he saw Mirowen and Doctor Emile Roberts racing toward him. “Lincoln is one. This is two. Trouble does come in threes,” he mumbled. “I can’t wait.”

“Hey you!” The shout came from further down the hall as Mirowen and Doctor Roberts hustled up to the front door to hide behind Glen. A marine followed. Glen held up his hand like a traffic cop.

That just made the marine mad. It looked like he was going to say “Who the Hell are you?” but when Glen vanished from that world and was replaced by an absolutely stunning young woman in an outfit that was both tight and short, it came out, “What the f***?”

“Princess,” Mirowen lowered her eyes.

“Crude.” The Princess responded to the marine before she gave both Lincoln and Doctor Roberts a sharp look. She grabbed Mirowen by the elbow. “We will be in the ladies room so too bad for you Lincoln.” It was the one place Lincoln could not follow and she could get some peace even if Glen could not.

Once inside the women’s room, the Princess turned immediately to the mirror. It was reflex, an automatic reaction to see how she looked. The main part of her mind was focused on the elf. “So Mirowen, what have you and Emile decided?”

Mirowen curtsied, and gracefully despite the fact that she was in greasy overalls. “Lady. Emile is reluctant to become elf kind, and we have researched it and it has not seemed to us that you have done that very often.”

“Not often,” the Princess responded. “But one of my godly lifetimes like Danna or Junior or Nameless or Amphitrite might arrange it.”

Mirowen curtsied a second time and looked at the floor. She spoke softly. “I understand.”

“But Mirowen, what about joining Alexis in the human world?” The Princess turned from the mirror to look at the elf. She was a lovely elf and the Princess had no doubt she would make an equally lovely human woman.

“I am prepared for that.” Mirowen dropped her eyes again but she did not sound convinced. “Oh, but Colonel Weber is threatening to drag Emile back for trial for stealing property from area 51. But it was my unicorn. I was just getting her back!”

Boston came to join them at that point and also went straight for the mirror while the Princess turned again to face Mirowen. “You know if you stay as you are, he will grow old more rapidly than you can imagine while you will hardly change at all. You will lose him and he will lose you in the end.”

“One of us will likely go first in any case.” Mirowen would not look the Princess in the eyes.

“I could do that,” Boston interrupted. “With Lockhart, I mean. He is such a snuggle bear, and a good kisser too, I bet. If only he wasn’t such a father figure.”

“Grandfather figure.” The Princess corrected her, and Boston did not deny that truth.

“Oh, but did you hear Lincoln’s concern for his missing wife?” Boston said. “I never met her, but I understand she was an elf once. He must really love her.” The Princess nodded for Boston but she spoke with an eye on Mirowen.

“And she really loves him and would do anything for him.”

“Two peas in a pod.” Bobbi the Director came in, a marine on her heels. The Director caught the tail end of the conversation. “And that is why we need to find Alexis if we can. Is it crowded in here or what?”

“Women’s conference,” Boston suggested. The marine grimaced as she set down her briefcase and took a turn in the mirror.

“Yes, well Mirowen, we will talk more later.” The Princess took back the conversation. “Meanwhile, I had a hard time at first getting a lead on Alexis. She became too human, I think.”

“She still has the magic,” Bobbi noted.

“Yes, but so do a number of humans, and the more so as the Other Earth waxes toward full conjunction.”

“What about the Lady of Avalon?” Boston suggested.

“Alice?” The Princess closed her eyes. “Yes, that is how I found her. Alexis was there in Avalon, and I suppose I knew that all along. She was just not the priority because she did not appear to be in any danger. Her father Mingus took her out of fear that she was getting too old and would soon die and leave him grieving.” The Princess sighed. “I guess we have to go fetch her.”

Bobbi touched the Princess on the arm and the Princess started to move over, but Bobbi had a request first and only glanced briefly at the marine before she spoke. “Can I go to Avalon? All these years I have worked this operation and in these last few years I have kept it all running, and I have never been to Avalon. Not even once.”

The Princess smiled and hugged her friend. “Soon. Not this time, but after you retire, and no, you cannot retire today. I need you to keep Colonel dipstick away from Mirowen and Emile while I am gone.” The Princess turned toward the marine. “So, do you work for Darth Weber?” The marine picked up her briefcase and smiled, but just a little.

“I don’t do typing pool gossip,” she said and left.

“Humph.” Bobbi harrumphed, but not in a sour way. She stepped up to the mirror and touched her gray hair, looked at Boston who was maybe twenty-five, the beautiful elf and the incredible Princess and harrumphed again. “What am I looking at? I am way past the age for mirrors.”

All of the young women paused to give Bobbi love hugs before they exited the Women’s Room together. They had a conference to attend and they had to get Lincoln’s wife back.